Primetime Emmy Awards Earn Highest Ratings Since 2007

Was Neil Patrick Harris that amazing as a host? Or has TV just been that much more appealing this year? Either way, the Emmys posted the highest ratings in years, drawing in an estimated 15.2 million viewers. This is up from 13.2 million viewers from last year.

Broken down further, the key demographic of 18 to 49-year-olds, increased viewership by 30 percent over 2012. This is the highest rating since 2007, back when Ryan Seacrest hosted.

Usually competition is used as an explanation for numbers, but the Emmys went up against NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ featuring the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though the Steelers haven’t been great this year, the game stayed within a touchdown going into the fourth quarter. Elsewhere, AMC aired the penultimate episode of this season’s ‘Breaking Bad,’ and Showtime aired the series finale of ‘Dexter.’

So what are some possible explanations for the high rating? Well, it could be the opening that featured hosts and co-hosts from past award shows—Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, Jane Lynch, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler. Or it could have been something technical, like quick and smooth pacing from segment to segment.

Or maybe we do need to give credit to Harris. He didn’t open the show with a big song and dance number, but instead broke up the sagging middle with a segment featuring him dancing with Nathan Fillion and Sarah Silverman.